The Repetitive Misogyny of Second Female Leads

When it comes to Asian dramas, especially school web dramas, the saboteur second female lead is no new plot device.

When it appeared in season 1 of Best Mistake, I was pretty forgiving because it made sense — the new girl joins the group and the old character feels like they're getting pushed out. When it appeared in season 2 of Best Mistake, it was a little annoying but I felt like the main characters and their high school lives still had that light-hearted nostalgia. With season 3 kicking off with YD and HH broken up and with the addition of even more characters, it just felt like this season was rehashing the same old plots it had done before. The FL being locked in a dark room, being left on the side of a lonely street, being the subject of false rumors and photos...it's just all so overdone, even just in previous seasons. And having all this in the light of many second male leads being their typical soft and caring and heartbroken selves...it just highlighted the problems with how differently women and men are written.

And so, the plot itself just felt very annoying, with many of it being triggered by these second female leads or being self-inflicted to make drama for the sake of drama, whether it was a miscommunication or simply questionable decisions. Even though the tertiary characters had less of this, there were far too many love triangles. I'm actually someone who typically enjoys them and the commentary about different ways to love — but that's only if done well. With all these characters starting to act very similarly and just being so bland, it felt unnecessary and like lazy writing. Love triangles are fine but there just has to be more to the characters than that.

Even with all my criticisms, I appreciate the vibe and the style of the show. Visually it's bright and fun, and I loved seeing my favorite characters from Light On Me in a cameo.

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Exciting but gets a little messy

The best part of this drama is hands down the antagonist, who is just the most intriguing kind of serial killer. We get a backstory showing her how she got to that point and what she's feeling (or what she's not), and I really loved the layer of moral grayness in her reasoning behind the killings. It really made me question the blurry line between right and wrong and think about who has the power or right to decide who deserves to die and who to live.

All this, paired with the eccentricity of the female lead who has her own blurry backstory, made for a really interesting dynamic between the two not only when they were playing their game of cat and mouse, but also during their very intense confrontations.

I thought the side characters on the team were also great and had their personalities and roles, each with a different worldview that meshed well together.

As the plot progressed, it started to incorporate other antagonists and manipulators that were related to politics or familial secrets; while I'm not necessarily surprised because I knew the story had to get bigger than a single killer and her accomplice, but I just felt like the additions started to get messy and I was not at all as interested in these other people with other motivations. It just felt too common and it seemed to stifle the potential of the main antagonist.

Though there were some parts that felt a little rushed — especially in light of all the new antagonists and characters that were added that I mentioned above, I still felt like the drama wrapped up the storylines nicely.

Throughout the entire show, the OST was great and it definitely made me feel the intensity in every scene.

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Carried by PangWave

The shining beacon of light in this drama was Pang & Wave, whose chemistry was just off the charts. I absolutely loved their development from enemies in the first season to being an unbreakable duo in this one, I loved how their personalities and plans complemented each other, and I loved that no matter it was these two characters together who were not only the most dependable when shit hit the fan but were also the most fun and domestic when they were just hanging out together. PangWave shined in every single scene they were in.

Aside from that, I definitely felt like The Gifted: Graduation was inferior to its prequel in every way.

While the new additions to the cast did grow on me, I didn't like how much the show focused on them at the start. They were simply annoying and felt very obviously like plot devices. The show got better once the main cast returned — not just because of the nostalgic factor but just because the characters were better developed — and the new characters were more suited in their secondary roles.

Still, I really didn't enjoy how some established characters from Season 1 had spiralled downward in their character arcs; while it was hinted at in the original series, development here just felt very sudden and out-of-character, as if they were being used for the plot's shock factor instead of having their characters grow naturally in one direction.

In terms of the plot, I really think it tries to do too much in too little. There's a good story in here somewhere with the Director's backstory but it has one twist after another and at some point you stop feeling shocked that there's another betrayal or another moment of in-fighting. (There was a lot of infighting in this one, which I didn't enjoy and it felt like it was simply there for drama.) There's some parts of the plot that feel too convenient or characters that suddenly disappear because they're not useful anymore. And maybe I think there were just too many characters, and sometimes the show chose to focus on the ones that were the least interesting. I could not find it in myself to care at all about what the government was doing and I felt like those roles could have been given to characters in power we already knew and it would've had the same impact.

Still, it does wrap up the story nicely and I think the moments between Pang and Wave were well worth the watch.

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Refreshing main couple

Plot-wise there's really nothing special about the story of a cold male lead and a bubbly but clumsy female lead who find themselves in a contractual marriage, but something about the way it was executed was very refreshing. There's still some scenes where I personally found the female lead's optimism to be more like naivete, but overall it didn't affect my enjoyment of the show at all because it wasn't stupidity, and I could genuinely just chalk it up to differing worldviews.

In fact, watching this was overall a really fun and light-hearted experience and I know that's mainly due to the absence (mostly) of the miscommunication and sabotaging second female lead trope. There's hints of it, but none of them felt like true dangers to the main couple, who were just so cute together and communicated really well throughout any sort of issues they might've run into. Chinese dramas rarely do this, but when they do it makes for a really happy drama.

With that being said, I kind of wish there were more scenes of the main leads, whether it's discussing their families (which we just seemed to skim the surface of for each) or just showing more friendships. I'd honestly also be okay if we just spent a little more time on their love story and having them get together later.

I know I'd rather have those kinds of scenes than either of the side ships. While I liked some of the side characters individually, I really didn't care for any of the romances between them, and while the main couple was relatively drama free, it felt like the side ships had all the drama but none of the feeling of importance. There were miscommunications and jumping to conclusions and it just all felt very cookie-cutter cdrama second couple.

I know part of the inability to go into depth is that this drama is relatively short compared to other Chinese dramas, but I think it's also the amount of time dedicated to the side characters that could've been spent on going deeper on some issues and themes. Still, this is a fun and light-hearted watch if you want a contemporary rom-com that feels low-stakes.

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The Triumph of the Second Lead

I always say that I want a drama where the second lead wins and to everyone who replies "Well doesn't that make them first lead then?", this drama is my answer. It's not just about who the main character has feelings for first or which character is the token "nice and patient one." It's also about the reasons the characters have for falling in love and the reasons why a relationship does or doesn't work out...and I felt like all of those reasons were answered beautifully in this drama.

This is exactly what I've ever wanted in every slow burn. Neither of the love interests are forcibly villainized or make stupid decisions to push the romantic plotline — it's simply about how each of them love and live in different ways. Not just for their relationships but even as individuals, every main character had depth and personality, and I just really love looking back and seeing how their friend group came together. True, there are some funny and cheesy high school kdrama cliches, but with how profound and touching the dialogue was, that didn't bother me at all.

The only character who I didn't really care for was a second female lead that came very close to being the typical jealous saboteur; even if there was some redemption and she was nowhere as extreme as other characters I've seen, it was still a little annoying.

This show isn't as long as a regular drama but it's not as short as other web dramas either, and I think this extra time made a huge difference. This will definitely go down as a comfort watch for sure, and there are some lines that will stay with me forever.

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Fun and light-hearted with a dash of tugging on the heartstrings

If any of you happen to be in a drama slump, this is the perfect one to get you out of it (that's what i did for me). There's the light-heartedness of web dramas, but with a much longer runtime, this show was able to give its multiple main characters and couples the arcs they deserved. I rarely find myself so equally enjoying all of the storylines when there are multiple mains, but in this one I definitely did. All the ships had their own distinct dynamics and storylines, made of characters who also each had glowing personalities and backstories of their own. And I loved the friendships that we were able to get between both trios as well, and even more so when we saw the entire group together.

Even though this is lighthearted, I actually really enjoyed the tidbits of social commentary that we got. Ma Joo-ah dealt with people against economic affirmative action in college admissions, Hwang Bo Young talked about living with diabetes and being judged for it, Min-ho and his sister were great in their family dynamics and showing how fast children have to mature without parents, etc.

In the second half, I did think that some of the plotlines got dragged out (particularly one with a cliche jealous second female lead), but I still really enjoyed the main female lead that was involved in that situation and how strong and confident she was. I just can't stop gushing about the different mains in this drama and how they were able to shine despite the plot being quite cliche.

I would definitely recommend this to people who like college-setting dramas and friends-to-lovers, or honestly anyone who just wants something light-hearted to watch.

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Solid plot

Objectively I think the writing for this series is super solid — all the characters had their role and personalities, and all their subplots were tied into the main story and the law school experience quite well. I was really intrigued by the whodunnit-style plot and how we gradually figured out how other cases and figures factored into it.

Because there were so many subplots, however, I definitely liked some more than others; a domestic violence case was really touching and realistic, while others about corruption and media didn't really appeal to me that much. In the end, though there were some scenes that I liked, the overarching plot was interesting but not mind-blowing.

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Great leads but flat side characters

I didn't expect it to be so comforting but it was! A smart and strong FL plus a nice ML, both of who have good communication...It was just so refreshing. This is how I think you should write a strong female lead; she has pride but isn't an emotionless robot and can get hurt, she's great at what she does, she stands up for herself and her friends and goes after what she wants despite Lady Luck not always being on her side. And the ML was great as well; I'm so sick of the cold jerk rich male lead it was fun to see a character that went against all that; he was kind and nice from the start while still being sure of his own boundaries. Together, the ML and the FL made such a great duo; they had great chemistry, full communication, and mutual understanding.

The main side characters, particularly the ML's two friends, were great as well and I loved how bubbly and fun they were while each still kind of having their own hobbies and doing their own thing. Something about this group with the FL just felt so much like found family.

Overall, I actually thought the weight/health theme was done fairly well — it's usually something I'm very hesitant about. There are still some throwaway lines, especially at the end, that made me a little uncomfortable and felt like the writers had no more time left to insert good development, but everything in the early part of the drama was great; the FL was so much more than her weight and her work/friendships/family showed that, and it was more than appearances and "getting revenge" on her exes — she did it for herself.

Other than the main leads, however, I felt like the second and side ships really fell flat. It was hard to root for the second ship considering how it was her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend and the latter was so snarky and pouty, and the other side ship felt a little random and obsessive.

There are honestly a tad too many side characters and many of them were related to family drama and office politics, neither of which I really cared about; and tied in with them were some kdrama tropes that would normally bother me a lot. I'll never like some of them but I was surprised how it actually didn't bother me as much in this drama — mostly because there was a really strong understanding between the two leads which other dramas ruin, while this one made use of it.

Overall, this drama was very fluffy, light-hearted, and cute. There were some cliches and some side-plots that didn't really get fleshed out as much as I wanted, but for a rom-com it was great, and watching this was just FUN. The OST is a bop too.

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Comforting but common

I took a while to get into this movie; at the very start it was just a little confusing and something about the way it cut between past and present scenes was awkward and abrupt. I also wasn't necessarily feeling the romance, despite some of the cute scenes they had together.

There was something still very comforting about the movie, about just seeing two people grow together, grow up, grow apart, and then meet again to get closure. The emphasis on family and finding a home was really moving as well, and actually it was these parts, with their parents, that hit me harder than any of the romance which I feel like was a story I'd already seen.

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Amazing vibes

I can easily see how some people could find this film boring but for me it was just all about the vibes, and the vibes were immaculate.

The cinematography was great and I really loved how there was not a lot of dialogue; even when there was, every shot had the right amount of time and emotional weight dedicated to it. It's very nostalgic, very slice-of-life, and watching it felt like I was unplugging myself from the rest of the world.

This is a film about feeling alone in a crowded room, about watching from a distance, about small psychological victories, and I 100% felt all of it.

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Captivating

One episode in and I already knew I was going to love it. The main character is exactly my favorite kind of hero — the one that doesn't ask for it but has leadership thrust upon them after being thrown headfirst into an insane situation.

The drama started out a little episodic at first but I had no problem with it because it was great seeing different potentials and the pros and cons of them. Hints of the backstory and overarching plot were also inserted really well and I really liked how things came together at the end.

With that being said, however, I feel like the ending leaves a lot to be desired. I liked learning about different potentials in the earlier episodes but I don't think they ever became very significant in the overarching plot and it really felt like the drama ended right when it was about to hit its actual climax, after some of the plot twists were revealed. The build-up didn't necessarily pay off even though I feel like some of the social messages already came through, and the cliffhanger at the end really left me craving more.

I always say I'm not a fan of ensemble dramas but if this one counts it's definitely an exception. I love every single one of the characters in the group (especially Wave) and they'll be one of my favorite cast of characters forever.

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Intense build-up, decent wrap-up

The first half of this movie was absolutely flawless — I was terrified (in a good way) by all the jumpscares, the mystery was extremely intriguing and I was trying desperately to figure it out myself, and the soundtrack and interactions between the characters all added to the dark vibe of the movie.

I still think the second half, after everything was revealed, was a decent watch, but I did think that it took away a lot of the things that I loved in the first half. Of course, a mystery can't go on forever, but I definitely felt like the story didn't feel as dark as it did before and there was no more anxiety-inducing tension, more just running around and fights. Those were still fun and exciting and I really enjoyed how the story was revealed, intertwining different characters, but the first half still felt more captivating to me.

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Good Edutainment

It's funny because I really feel like there were two different aspects to this: one that was more serious and historical, and another that used some questionable tropes.

I really loved the political and historical part of this; I've never really watched any historical period dramas in this time and I actually learned a lot, about how people in different classes or of different nationalities were treated, and about how historical events impacted people's lives. For that, I really loved this drama and how it spanned a really pivotal time in world history (about 1925-1959) even though I did find it a little difficult to emotionally invest in at times.

On the other hand, however, I found that sometimes tropes took me out of it. Some subplots felt repetitive as they happened over and over again and I wondered why the character didn't learn from it and so sometimes characters made frustrating decisions. Other times, there were tropes that didn't really feel like they belonged even though they were still woven into the story fairly well.

There was an entire arc where the main character got amnesia — one trope that has always felt annoyingly forced to me and feels like an excuse to make big changes without having to explain them. While I felt like this drama did that arc better than other dramas have, I still didn't love it and it definitely felt dragged out longer than I thought it had to be. It was a turning point in the drama that I really didn't love and just felt like it was inserted for plot purposes. For that reason, the progression of the romance subplot also felt a little awkward throughout the show.

That aside, the OST is perfect and just fits the story and time so well. The acting is great, especially during emotional scenes, and so I still quite enjoyed this one and everything I learned from it.

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Amazing unconventional male lead

The drama has a bit of a slow start but it really quickly grabbed my attention with the serial killer mystery. The writing is really well thought out in terms of plot development and how all the mini-stories tied together to be part of a bigger event. I admit I think I enjoyed the first half a little more just because I loved the intensity of the chase, the scariness of not being one step behind when there was one case happening after another. But I do understand and I knew that the story would turn to a bigger focus on the ML's family and the overarching backstory.

The best part of this drama was undoubtedly the dynamic between the male lead and the female lead. Right off the bat I really loved how unconventional the male lead was and how he was portrayed — as a character with Asperger's it was really interesting to see how he dealt with social situations with coworkers and suspects as he tried to find out what happened with his daughter. It was this, and this dynamic with the reporter female lead, that was really my favorite part. She was his opposite and his foil in every way, but they were brought together by a similar goal. Their dynamic and how they complemented and clashed was super interesting, especially with how subtle but impactful the character development was.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this! It's not exactly a heart-pounding story, but it's heavy and it deals with a lot of social topics well.

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